Residents say City Hall is pretty darn average

The San Francisco Controller’s Office is soon to release the 2009 city survey, dubiously titled “Overall Rating for Government Performance Still C+.”

Not exactly something to brag about, but there are plenty of glimmers of hope. The ranking is actually an improvement, with more residents giving local government an A or B grade than in years past. Interestingly, African-Americans, Latinos, gay or lesbian people, and parents of teens are more likely than others to give the city a higher grade.

Many subcategories scored higher than the last time the survey was conducted in 2007. Public safety and libraries scored a B, parks scored a B-, public transportation and street cleanliness scored a C+ and pavement conditions scored a C.

The city’s overall grade isn’t an average, but just survey respondents’ general feelings.

“Satisfaction with city services is improving in almost every single category – from safety, to public transportation, to clean streets,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Another big difference showed that families with children are now no more likely to leave the city than those without kids. The city has long had the smallest percentage of children (14 percent) of any major city in the country.